some questions about iron

[J1382]

I need to know how irons electrons behave when forming compounds (gain, lose, or share), weather it prefers ionic or covalent bonds, and if it is able to react with acids (spesificly HCl hydrocloric acid) and bases (spesificly NaOH sodium hydroxide). Thanks!

[RobJim]

See my signature.

Put more effort into solving these problems yourself please.

[Hix3r]

Yeah I think it has been quite a while, and if anyone wonders what the answers are, here are they.

Iron forms metallic bond with other metals, which is like a group of atoms sharing everything. You indicate iron with this right? Fe. Why don't you put a number after it, to see how many atoms are in a molecule? Because they do not form molecules in elemental state. They form a grid of atom-cores and every single atom's electrons are distributed between every core in delocalized state. So nobody can ever tell you in a metal grid, which electron belongs to which atom. In fact this grid can be unlimitedly large, and every electron can be anywhere in this grid.

With non-metals, iron form ionic bonds. For example halogens do not like to share their electrons that much like other metals. If you put it this way, they only need one electron to reach the noble gas-state, and they will do everything to get that electron. Of course this is not a matter of will, but the small core-size and only one incomplete electron-pair makes the atom an electron-sucker. So they force the iron into ionic bond, suck its electron from it, and make a molecule like FeCl2 which is iron(II)-chloride or Fe2Cl3 which is iron(III)-cholride.

When forming ionic compounds it loses electrons. Almost everytime metal ions have a positive charge. With metals they share because of the metallic grid.

Iron, because it has a negative standard potencial, makes hidrogen from acids, specifically with HCl:
Fe + 2 HCl -> FeCl2 + H2
HCl is not powerful enough to make Fe2Cl3... If you want to produce Fe2Cl3, you have to insert heated iron into chlorine gas. Those are the extreme conditions iron needs to lose that many electrons.

Iron also reacts with NaOH, forming Fe(OH)3. I don't know about this part too much, and I have never heard of Fe(OH)2, so I think this does not exist between normal conditions.

Anyway I think this will be helpful to anyone, who visits this page, again please correct any errors I made.

[maddog]

hix3r good on ya. you help people, nicer than that other man telling him to work it out 4 himself :!: